Plugs and mating plugs are used to produce an electric and mechanical connection between two electric lines or an electric line and a device. So-called heavy-duty plugs, which are protected against environmental influences by the housing, are necessary, in particular, for the transmission of large currents.
The principle design of plugs and mating plugs can be substantially identical and only differ in the design of their electric contacts to produce the electrical connection. The realizations for the plugs consequently apply correspondingly to the mating plugs.
Publication WO 2011/069522 A1 discloses a system plug which receives plug-in modules with electric contacts held therein. The plug-in modules are inserted perpendicularly into a region of a holder frame and are then displaced laterally by 90° into the holder frame and secured.
Publication DE 203 30 11 A discloses a safety plug with a plug insert which is arranged in a plug casing where the protective contact is fastened directly to the contact carrier of the plug insert.
Publication DE 10 2014 109 351 B3 provides a plug which enables a secure mechanical and electric connection between plug and mating plug.
DE 10 2012 101 813 B3 discloses a plug with a plug insert and a protective conductor bridge. In this case, the plug insert is held on a connecting region which is realized as a screw connection.
A disadvantage of the previously described plug is that the assembly of the protective conductor bridge and of the plug insert is complex and installation space has to be left free in the housing to install both the plug insert and the protective conductor bridge. As a result, it is necessary to realize the plug in a correspondingly large manner. In addition, such plugs are often very heavy, which makes handling them difficult.
In addition to what has been mentioned above, as part of the priority application to the present application, the German Patent Office and Trademark Office has researched the following prior arts: DE 10 2009 055 925 A1 and DE 94 08 909 U1.